The Tampa Bay Rays have shown that they don’t have the cash to splash in the hot-stove season, which is why they were forced to let Carl Crawford sign a mega-deal with the Boston Red Sox, Carlos Pena sign $10 million single-year deal with the Chicago Cubs and trade Jason Bartlett to the San Diego Padres for next to nobody.
The only unit that the Rays have intact is their starting rotation, and that can go a long way for a playoff contender.
Right now they have six good-to-great starting pitchers in their roster. The usual rotation consist of five starters, having each starter go every fifth day.
The Rays will need to maximize their strength and use a six-man rotation. That will give each stater an extra day of rest and will keep them rested and fresh in nearly every game of the season.
Each starter had at least 12 wins or more in 2010. Three of those starters pitched 200 innings or more. Three starters had an ERA less than four and two starters had at least 180 strikeouts.
By using all six of their starters, including young phenom Jeremy Hellickson, the Rays, along with a small-ball, athletic offense anchored by Evan Longoria, can still contend and still be the wedge between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.
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